After three books of setting up a complicated hairball of a situation, it is time to unravel the mess and get things sorted out. The generations old religious prophecy finally comes to pass, but not in the way anyone expected. The evil god Mikkik uses the prophecy itself to dupe the followers of his "good" rival into believing he is their god reborn. Why do the good guys always have to be the stupid ones? Of course, the battle between good and evil is no more complicated than the relationships that have formed between Gen, the Chalaine, and her mother, Mirelle. Who is going to marry who is ever changing, but at least the three of them are aligned on one thing. They are all able to see through Mikkik's deception and are united in their fight to expose him, although they are each destined to take their own path to a resolution. Each of these path's is a dangerous one, and the book's title implies that perhaps not all them will survive to sort out the relationship mess when the time comes.

From the start of the series, there have been flashbacks to unexplained visits from dark forces in Gen's childhood that have never been fully explained. These events have never appeared to have much impact on Gen, because after each visit an unknown individual always arrives to erase the memory. Gen has often been the only person capable of keeping the Chalaine safe from the dark forces trying to disrupt the holy prophecy, but now that she is pregnant with the Holy Child, Gen protects her no more. The significance of those visits in Gen's past have come into light, so now the Padra Athan and the church want him dead, and so does the Chalaine's new husband. However, the Chalaine's mother, Mirelle, still believes in Gen and she works to keep him from Athan's forces, convinced he is the only one who can protect her daughter. It's a mess of a situation, but one thing is clear - whichever side of the prophecy Gen's loyalties are on is likely to come out on top.

The first book of the series totally leaves you eager to find out what comes next, especially in the character relationship department. Gen finds himself promoted to the Chalaine's Protector because he was the only one with the moral fortitude to stand up for her when her future husband, the Ha'Ulrich, tried to treat her like a common harlot. Of course, this puts Gen in quite a predicament as the Ha'Ulrich and the Chalaine are prophesied to marry and conceive a child that will become the embodiment of a god. Because of the way Gen humiliated the Ha'Ulrich he knows that once the marriage is complete, the Ha'Ulrich will have the power to order his death. Still, that won't stop Gen from doing his duty, but the enemy army led by the evil god Mikkik just might.

Gen is a bard's apprentice growing up in a small town and getting into mischief with his friends. He is a decent young man who pines for the prettiest girl in the village and gets in trouble for playing pranks on the local nobles, that is until his somewhat idyllic life is ripped away from him in an instant. Shadan Khairn is a war monger, and master swordsman, who's army invades Gen's small town unexpectedly during the winter. Shadan's goal is simply to establish a unexpected foothold in Gen's country for a larger summer invasion, but this invasion results in Gen going from bard to prisoner over night. Things only get worse for Gen when Shadan quickly becomes bored in this nowhere town, and he decides to train Gen to be a sword fighter. He does this mainly for the sick pleasure of inflicting one devastating injury after another onto Gen, and then magically healing him of his wounds so he can do it again the next day. This process of repeated beatings changes Gen at his core, and puts him on a much different trajectory in life.

Despite the Ash Angel victories in the prior books, the threat from the Dreads has only increased and the Ash Angel Organization finds itself on the verge of collapsing. Other Dread Loremasters have risen in power to fill the power vacuum at the top, and the war has grow so large that it now threatens entire cities of normals. As an Angel Born, Helo may possess power never before heard of, but that is also true of the new Dread leadership. Toss in the fact that Aclima is now back on the dark side, and Helo has limited options available to him. He knows that he can't win this fight without the other Ash Angels, but since he finds himself alone in his belief that Aclima can still be redeemed, joining up with them could cost Aclima her life. Despite his best efforts, Helo finds himself on a path where he may have to kill the only woman he has come to love in his afterlife in order for good to triumph over evil. Could he even do it?

The victory against King in the first book is short lived, and the evil Dreadlords are determined to seek retribution in a very personal way. After their rebirth, Ash Angels keep their distance from their former family members and acquaintances; however, the Dread follow no such rules. Aclima warns Helo that he does not understand what lengths Cain will go through to exact revenge, and as events unfold, her warning is spot on. Helo and the Ash Angels are not prepared for what comes their way, and Cain is always one step ahead of them. Aclima becoming an Ash Angel provides access to an amazing wealth of Dread knowledge, but not everyone trusts her intel. Will her unprecedented turning to the good side make the difference or is it all just part of Cain's plan?

I'm not into most urban fantasy, and heaven vs hell is also not a genre that usually grabs me, but I am a sucker for a well defined magic system. In Dread Uprising, if someone gives their life for another, then there is a chance they can be re-awakened as an Ash Angel. If their ashes are spread at the location where they were killed during the summer solstice, then there is a chance they will return as an Ash Angel. This is exactly what happens to Trace and he finds himself thrust into the eternal struggle against the Dread, who are created in a similar but opposite way. A Dread must have killed someone else while alive, and then the dust of their remains must be taken to the location of the murder. Ash Angels earn divine gifts known as bestowals, which are powers they may use against the Dread, and after 7 bestowals they ascend into heaven. Despite these powers, for the first time in history, the Dreads have the upper hand and the Ash Angels now find their numbers greatly reduced.